Cheese Glossary Of Popular Cheese Terms
AOC – Appellation d’origine contrôlée in French, is the French certification granted to certain cheese and other products.
Annatto – Orange-red dye, obtained from the natural pigments in the seeds of the annatto tree.
Bacteria Linens – Bacteria used to create the sticky orange rind on washed-rind cheeses.
Brine – A strong salt solution used to seal the outside of some cheeses and prevent unwanted mold from growing.
Buttermilk – The slightly sour liquid left after butter has been churned.
Carotene – The yellow to red natural colorant that comes from grasses and is converted through the liver into vitamin A.
Casein – Milk’s chief and particular protein, precipitated in cheesemaking by acid development and by rennin enzyme, becoming curd.
Cheddaring – A technique where curds are cut, stacked, and turned repeatedly to expel whey and develop acidity/texture; characteristic of cheddar.
Coagulate/Curd – The solid mass formed when milk proteins (casein) clump together after adding rennet or acid; the opposite of whey (liquid).
Cultures (Starter Cultures) – Beneficial bacteria added to milk to ferment lactose, produce acid, and develop flavor (e.g., lactic acid bacteria).
Mold-Ripened – Cheese ripened with specific molds; includes bloomy rind (white mold) or blue-veined (Penicillium roqueforti for blue cheeses like Roquefort).
Pasteurization – Heating milk to kill harmful bacteria; pasteurized-milk cheeses are common commercially, while raw-milk cheeses retain more complex flavors.
PDO/AOC (Protected Designation of Origin/Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) – Legal protection ensuring a cheese is made in a specific region using traditional methods (e.g., Camembert de Normandie, Parmigiano-Reggiano).
Rennet – Enzyme (traditionally from animal stomachs, now often microbial/vegetable) that coagulates milk by cleaving casein proteins to form curds.
Rind — The outer layer of cheese; types include natural (formed during aging), bloomy, washed, or artificial (wax/paraffin on some cheeses like Gouda).
Terroir – The influence of environment (soil, climate, feed, local microbes) on a cheese’s unique flavor, especially in artisanal or PDO varieties.
Turophile – A connoisseur, aficionado, or passionate lover of cheese.
Washed Rind – Rind bathed or brushed with brine, beer, or wine during aging to encourage bacteria/yeast growth, creating orange/pink rinds and pungent flavors (e.g., Taleggio, Epoisses).
Whey – The liquid byproduct separated from curds during cheesemaking; used for ricotta or discarded.